


Set In Stone

by alex_wh0



Category: Green Creek Series - T.J. Klune
Genre: Carter's birthday, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon, Tattoos, The pack's all here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:21:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27505981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alex_wh0/pseuds/alex_wh0
Summary: The Bennett pack celebrates Carter's 32nd birthday and Gavin decides to gift him something permanent.
Relationships: Carter Bennett/Gavin Livingstone
Comments: 22
Kudos: 83





	Set In Stone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [psych0midget (cominupforair)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cominupforair/gifts).



> For Monica, for introducing me to this universe <3
> 
> This is my first Green Creek fic and I was a nervous wreck while writing it. Thanks to Noah for the beta-ing.
> 
> I'm on [Tumblr](https://alex-wh0.tumblr.com/) and on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/alex_wh0). Come say hi!

Carter woke up alone on his 32nd birthday.

His hand stretched out and encountered cold sheets in the space where Gavin should have been. He sat up, cold panic a vise around his chest, thoughts a litany of _Gavin, Gavin, Gavin_. Carter didn’t do well when Gavin disappeared unexpectedly. His thoughts almost always wound back to the emptiness he had felt while on the road looking for him.

Carter pushed the sheets off and padded downstairs, feeling uneasy. He was 32 today. Part of him marveled at the number with a kind of detached incredulity, while the rest of him eagerly sniffed out breakfast.

“Mom,” he rumbled, voice scratchy and disused with sleep.

Elizabeth looked up from her place on the couch, smile stretching across her face as she beckoned to him. Carter flopped down next to her. “Happy birthday, Carter,” she murmured, giving him a one-armed hug. He mumbled a thank you in response and folded his legs underneath him, trying not to look too petulant.

“Where’s Gavin?”

Elizabeth looked at him with an unreadable expression. “Are you worried?”

Carter contemplated saying no, contemplated shrugging it off as inconsequential, but he couldn’t do it – not after the previous year, not after the way Gavin had disappeared once, wrenching his heart and sanity out and taking it with him.

“I am,” he conceded, sinking back into the couch.

“Stop. He’s out with Gordo,” Elizabeth said, kissing his cheek.

“Gordo?”

“Happy birthday again, darling. You will possibly never understand how happy I am that you are here. Today, every day.”

Carter looked at her, guilt flickering throughout his body. “I’m sor-”

“No,” Elizabeth shook her head. “No.”

Carter nodded and smiled at her. She returned it. “Now, do you want breakfast?”

“Yes!”

“Robbie’s making eggs.”

“Then, no,” Carter deflated back on the couch and Robbie yelled “I heard that” from the kitchen.

“Do I smell something burning,” he asked Elizabeth worriedly, but she only laughed and walked away to probably help Robbie. Or not. His mom could be ruthless like that.

Carter padded up the stairs back to his – _and Gavin’s_ – room to take a scalding hot shower. “He’s okay, he’s okay, he’s somewhere with Gordo, he’s okay,” he muttered to himself as he pulled on one of Gavin’s sweaters, realising that it was a ludicrous shade of pink only after he had surreptitiously sniffed it first, inhaling Gavin’s faint scent.

“Asshole,” he said to the mirror, unsure if he meant himself or Gavin. It was unreal, the way he missed him. “Get a grip,” he admonished his reflection in the mirror and picked up his phone and sent a single text to Gavin that only read “ _asshole_ ”. They both knew it meant _come back soon_.

That it meant _I love you_.

That it meant _it hurts without you here_.

That it meant _I’m worried_.

That it meant _I miss your fucking grumpy face_.

Carter was 32 years old and as dramatic as ever. The bond between him and his pack thrummed strong with a joyous vitality.

*

“Carter’s still moping,” Kelly announced to the room loudly. The bastard. Carter glared at him. And at Joe, who was sniggering into Ox’s shoulder, who was trying to hold back a smile.

“Carter is weak,” Robbie said, pushing his infuriating glasses up his nose. “All that macho man bullshit is only for show. Right, Carter?”

“Should I remind you that you sniffed my brother for months before you decided to hold his hand?”

Robbie flushed an alarming shade of red as Carter watched with smug satisfaction. He looked out the window to see Mark sitting with Bambi and Rico while Chris, Tanner and Jessie played with Joshua. Dominique was at the grill, single-handedly flipping burgers better than anybody in the pack ever could.

Carter felt happy, felt content and full in a way he was getting used to. Except for the constant nagging in his head that went _Gavin, Gavin, Gavin_. He had cornered Mark earlier, demanding to know where Gordo and Gavin had gone. Mark had only smiled in response, asking him to be patient.

“I am not moping,” he grumbled at Kelly, who crossed the room to sit next to him, laying his head on Carter’s shoulder.

“You are, you big baby,” Joe said, squashing into the couch on his other side.

“Ox,” Carter whined. “Tell them to shut up. Put your alpha powers to good use.”

Ox only grinned at him from the window. “No,” he said, simply. Carter gaped at him.

“You bastard.”

“Consider it my birthday gift to you.”

Carter scowled. And then he went cold at the thought of birthday gifts. He slowly turned to look at Kelly and Joe. “What the fuck did you two get me this time?”

Kelly sniggered, but Joe, for some reason, pouted. “Joe isn’t fully on board with the gift but Ox, Robbie and I are,” Kelly grinned at him, and Carter returned it. “Is it embarrassing?”

“On so many levels,” Robbie answered, hiding his grin behind his hand until he met Kelly’s eyes, then it turned utterly soft.

Carter looked away. _Is this how I look when I see Gavin?_ he absently thought to himself. Kelly curled around his side and Joe hugged him, making room for Ox to quash in beside them. The couch sagged under their combined weight.

Somewhere upstairs, his mother sang softly as she streaked green lines interspersed with blue and gold on canvas, in a room drenched in sunlight.

Outside, the rest of his pack sat laughing and contentment stretched out like taffy, elastic and unending. Carter felt relentlessly happy. He snaked an arm around his brothers and sunk into the feeling, drawing it to his chest like the precious thing it was.

He was 32 years old, dramatic as ever and happy in ways he wouldn’t have dared to dream in the past.

*

When Gavin and Gordo returned, it was past noon. Weak sunlight poured into the Bennett house at the end of the lane, touching everyone in its path, turning them into gold.

Carter was instantly on his feet. He walked up to Gavin, accepting a (one-armed) hug from Gordo on the way and a gruff “happy birthday, kid”. Gavin was wearing black leggings and a loose dark blue sweater that hung off his frame, swallowing him whole. Carter held his face in his hands and looked at him hungrily, like a man starved of light finally seeing the wide expanse of sky above him.

He said, “Asshole.”

He said, “Where the fuck were you?”

He said, “Fucking hell, Gavin.”

Gavin smiled, shy and surprised. “Did you miss me?” he said, twisting his hands into Carter’s sweater, surprise dawning briefly on his face when he realised that it was, in fact, his.

“No,” Carter grumbled, but pulled him closer, nestling his head in the crook of neck and inhaling him.

“And he says I went around sniffing Kelly,” Robbie remarked loudly, “the hypocrite.”

Carter smiled into Gavin’s neck. “Robbie is being insufferable.”

“Is he now,” Gavin whispered. “I’ll have a word with him.”

“Yeah? Thanks.”

“Yeah. Ask him to dial it up a bit. It’s kinda tame, really.”

“Hey,” Carter and Robbie chorused, indignant.

Carter put his hands on Gavin’s hips to pull him closer but let him go abruptly when he winced. “What is it? Are you hurt?” he panicked.

“Nothing,” Gavin grumbled, prising Carter’s hands off of him. “I’m hungry.”

Carter gaped at him as he strode outside to where the food was. “The nerve. He didn’t even say happy birthday.” He glared at Kelly and Joe who were cackling at him. “It’s not funny. Idiots,” he called back over his shoulder as he followed Gavin outside.

-

Carter wasn’t sure when he’d gotten so many gifts before this day. Carter wasn’t sure when they had all piled into the same room without certain death hanging over their heads. He looked at the presents before him and grinned.

“Open, open, open,” Joe urged him and so he did.

The first one was a tiny box from Elizabeth and Mark. He looked at them, questioningly and they just smiled in response. “Open it, Carter,” Elizabeth nudged his shoulder. So he did.

It was a key. He looked at them again, his fist closing around the metal. “Mom?” he said, voice cracking down the single syllable. She gestured at the open door and he went. A vintage truck sat in the driveway, gleaming like new. Carter’s breath stuck in his throat.

“It was your father’s,” Mark said. Carter knew. He loped down the steps and ran a reverential hand across the bumper. “Thank you.”

“My gift to you is that I fixed it up like new,” Gordo said from behind Mark. Everyone was on the porch now. Carter grinned, “Thanks, Gordo.”

“I don’t want you bringing her to the garage for six months at least,” Gordo grumbled and Mark pulled him in to his side, kissing his temple. Gordo flushed.

Carter slowly took in the truck and then hugged his mom and then Mark. “Thank you,” he said, voice thick. Thomas Bennett always found a way to stay with them, in ways both important and inconsequential.

Bambi and Jessie gave him a pearl-handled revolver and a pair of nunchucks. “I’m going to teach you how to use both,” Jessie declared and Carter turned them over and over in his hands. “Thanks,” he told them both, knowing full well that it was only an excuse for Jessie to make him work. She was getting bored with all the quiet that surrounded them. It was an unnatural thing, but welcome.

Chris, Tanner and Rico pressed two bags into his hands. “Your boy thought you needed an image makeover,” Tanner said, giving him a onceover, “And we had to agree.”

“What?” Carter squawked, shooting Gavin a glare who only shrugged in response, giving him a secret smile and Carter was hopeless against it. He reached into the bag and pulled out a pale yellow hoodie with pink strings hanging down the front. He gawked at Gavin, “THIS?”

“It’s pretty,” Gavin said, so close to his ear that Carter had to suppress a shiver. “It is,” he admitted, pulling out a pair of very tight skinny jeans.

“Uh,” he said. “I’m not going to fit into that.”

“You will,” Gavin said to hoots of laughter and Carter was annoyed to find himself blush. “Shut up, Gavin.”

After more pastel clothes and a pair of boots, Carter thanked Rico, Tanner and Chris, pulling them into a long hug. “Now, now, _papi_. Just because you’re older doesn’t mean you have to get this emotional,” Rico mumbled, patting him on the back.

Chris snorted, “And yet you’re the one who’s crying.”

“I’ve been in touch with my feelings since Joshua was born, “Rico sniffed delicately.

“Ew we could have gone an entire lifetime without knowing that,” Tanner yelled and Rico punched his arm.

Dominique pushed past them, muttering something that sounded like “ _ridiculous_ ” before pushing a card into Carter’s hands. “I didn’t know what to get you, Carter. So, here’s a free breakfast pass for the diner,” she said, smiling at him, her dimples popping. Carter felt floored, overwhelmed in the best of ways. He pulled her into a hug and mumbled thanks. Dominique laughed and patted his shoulder. “Okay, birthday boy. That has a free bacon pass, by the way.”

At that Gavin snatched the card and slid it into his pocket. Carter made a noise of protest but Gavin kissed his cheek with a “shut up, pretty boy,” mumbled into his skin. Carter shut up. Carter also turned an alarming shade of red that made Kelly laugh and say “gross, Carter”.

“Are you ready for our gifts then?” Robbie said, plopping a messily wrapped parcel onto his lap and Carter groaned.

“Is it going to be like last time?”

“Last time was good,” Joe sighed. “We had fun,” Kelly agreed. Carter scowled.

He ripped the paper and shook out two t-shirts. One was full-sleeved and red. It read “Mayor of Green Creek” in big bold letters across the front and “I have no clue why tho” in big bold letters across the back. Carter gaped at his brothers and then at Ox and Robbie. “What the fuck?” he said weakly as everyone either smirked or dissolved into laughter.

“We dare you to wear this to work tomorrow,” Kelly said, smug.

“What work?” Joe said next and promptly sniggered.

Carter opened his mouth to call Joe multiple things when Ox gently nudged his shoulder. “Open the next one.”

Carter shook out the next t-shirt. It was soft and blue, but what caught Carter’s attention were the words “I popped Ox’s gay kissing cherry” splashed out on the front. He blinked once, then twice and then burst into peals of laughter, shaking the shirt in Ox’s face. He turned to find twin scowls on both Joe and Gavin and fondly rolled his eyes.

“It was like kissing my brother or something,” Ox shuddered, pulling Joe to him.

“Fuck you, Ox,” Carter said without heat and beamed at Kelly and Robbie. “This is wicked. I’m wearing it to work tomorrow.”

“What work?” Joe said, again and Carter flung the wrapping paper at Joe’s head.

He didn’t notice the way Gavin had gone quiet.

*

Gavin stood in the doorway to their room, looking the way he had when he had come back to Green Creek with Carter – unsure and worried. He twisted the hem of his hoodie, which, Carter realised with a jolt, was actually his.

“Gavin,” he said, doubt creeping into his voice. Gavin looked up at him, frown marring his forehead.

“Where did you go today?”

Gavin sighed, pushed the door closed and stepped into the room. “Sit,” he told Carter. Carter sat, on the edge of their bed. Gavin crossed the room and sat on Carter’s lap, straddling his thighs.

“Wha-” Carter began but Gavin shut him up with a kiss. Carter held him close, feeling Gavin wince when his hands strayed to his hips.

“Gavin,” Carter said against his lips. “What the fuck happened? Are you hurt?”

Gavin said “Yes”.

Gavin said “No”.

He sighed and said, “I don’t know,” and looked into Carter’s eyes, brushing hair away from his forehead. He cupped Carter’s cheek and bent down to kiss him again. “I have something for you.”

“About time,” Carter whispered and Gavin rolled his eyes.

“I know you got lovely gifts,” he said, “including the t-shirt.”

“It was a joke,” Carter protested and Gavin shushed him, so he pressed his lips together and gestured for Gavin to continue.

“I’ve never really celebrated birthdays,” he said, voice hoarse and Carter took his hands in his and rubbed his knuckles. “I’m not sure what’s a good gift and what isn’t.” Carter kissed the corner of his mouth, “I don’t need gifts.”

Gavin looked at him dubiously. “I don’t really need anything as long as you’re here,” Carter flushed, his ears turning pink. Gavin smiled down at him – shy and soft, and Carter melted a little.

“I got you something,” Gavin said, sliding off Carter’s lap. “I don’t know if you’ll like it,” his fists clenched and unclenched.

“I will,” Carter assured him and Gavin glared.

“How do you know?”

“Because it’s from you,” Carter said simply and Gavin stared at him. “Didn’t think you were such a sap, pretty boy,” Gavin smirked and Carter flushed again.

“Shut up, asshole. And give me my gift.”

Gavin looked unsure again but he pressed on, “Remember when Elizabeth gave me the wolf that once belonged to your father?”

Carter went cold first and then hot. “Yes,” he croaked, feeling a little unmoored. _Did Gavin not want it anymore? Worse, did Gavin want it back?_

“Don’t get me wrong, I love it and it was a gesture unparalleled,” he continued, coming to stand between Carter’s legs. “But I wanted you to have something from me. Just me.”

Carter tilted his head to look at Gavin’s face, struggling to keep the worry from showing on his face, “What are you getting at?”

In lieu of a response, Gavin pulled off the hoodie in one fluid motion and Carter sucked in a ragged breath. Winding around his hip was a wolf that looked remarkably like Carter when he shifted. The wolf’s head was turned up, caught in mid-howl, as though the only moon it knew was Gavin.

_Gavin, Gavin, Gavin._

For the space of 14 seconds, Carter forgot to breathe. He felt the space behind his eyes grow hot and realised he was crying only after a hot tear splashed onto his forearm. The tattoo was still fresh so Carter didn’t dare touch it, but he ran a finger around it, feeling Gavin shiver.

“You fucking bastard,” he said, trying to hold back and utterly, impossibly failing. He pulled Gavin back into his lap and buried his face in the crook of his neck, muttering “asshole, you actually did that”. Gavin slipped a hand to cup the back of Carter’s neck and tilted his head up, “So, you like it?” he said, shy and unsure and Carter kissed him senseless.

“I love it,” he said, reverentially brushing his fingers along the skin of Gavin’s belly, feeling him shiver again and again. “I can’t believe you actually got a wolf tattoo,” Carter marveled at Gavin. “For me,” he whispered.

“For you,” Gavin said, kissing the back of his hand softly. “For you, Carter, always.”

Carter grinned at him, feeling overwhelmed and obnoxiously happy. “Asshole,” he murmured into Gavin’s skin, placing a kiss near the tattoo, feeling another shiver wrack Gavin’s frame.

He was 32 years old and thought he would burst from the intensity of the feeling coursing through his body.

*

“What the hell?” Rico yelled as Carter and Gavin came downstairs to investigate the sudden bout of noise. Carter was wearing his brand new skinny jeans and the yellow hoodie that Gavin had picked out, flushing when he remembered the way Gavin’s eyes had widened when he tried to wrestle his way into the too-tight jeans.

The pack was sprawled all over the room – on the couch, on the floor, some on the table. Carter looked at Rico, whose face was, for some reason, faintly pink.

“What’s going on?” he said, pulling Gavin along with him.

“Gordo, he-” Rico spluttered and Carter looked at Gordo who was smirking from Mark’s lap.

“What?” Carter said, confused, looking at the rest of them for clarification but they were all in various stages of laughter.

“Gordo got a tattoo,” Mark murmured, one possessive hand on Gordo’s ass, pulling him closer.

“Oh?” Carter perked up.”What did you get? Is this why you left with him in the morning?” he turned around to ask Gavin, who nodded at him, smile curling around his mouth that Carter leaned closer to kiss.

“Ask him where oh my god,” Robbie groaned from the floor and Carter frowned.

“Where,” Carter asked Gordo. “And what?”

“A raven. This time, my own,” Gordo replied.

“What’s funny about a raven tattoo? I don’t understand?”

“Well,” Gordo cleared his throat, “It’s on my butt.”

“That IS NOT SOMEWHERE YOU GET A TATTOO,” Rico yelled even as Mark kissed Gordo on the mouth.

“Seriously?” Carter said, scandalised, looking at Gavin who grinned at him, mischievous and very, very cute. Carter helplessly returned it. He could do nothing else in that moment.

Carter was 32 years old today and he thought he was the luckiest man to ever live.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos always welcome. I'm on Tumblr and Twitter if you want to talk xx
> 
> Koi did an amazing job of portraying Carter with that shirt [here](https://twitter.com/GlassesAlex/status/1326817112883490817?s=20/)


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